Roasted root vegetables tossed with toasted farofa and herbs, a crunchy, colorful Brazilian starter or side dish.
This dish combines two staples of Brazilian cooking — roasted vegetables and farofa, toasted cassava flour — into a starter that plays soft, caramelized vegetables against a generous scatter of crunchy, buttery farofa. Sweet potato, carrot and pumpkin are roasted until their edges caramelize and their centers turn soft, a simple technique that lets the vegetables' natural sweetness come through with minimal seasoning. Farofa, toasted with butter and a bit of onion until golden and fragrant, is scattered generously over the top just before serving, its crunch and nutty flavor turning a simple roasted vegetable dish into something distinctly Brazilian.
Serves 4
Toss sweet potato, carrot and pumpkin with olive oil, salt and pepper, then spread on a baking sheet and roast at 220C/425F for 30-35 minutes until tender and caramelized at the edges.
Melt butter in a skillet and cook the diced onion until soft, then add cassava flour and toast, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes until golden and fragrant.
Stir the cassava flour constantly while toasting — it can go from golden to burnt within a minute of inattention.
Toss the roasted vegetables with the toasted farofa, or serve the farofa scattered on top.
Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Cut the vegetables into similarly sized pieces so they roast evenly and finish at the same time.
Toast the cassava flour with constant stirring over medium heat — it burns very quickly once it starts to color.
Add the farofa just before serving rather than mixing it in too early, so it stays crunchy against the soft roasted vegetables.
Adding raisins or chopped bacon to the farofa gives extra sweetness or savoriness.
A version with beets added to the roasted vegetables gives a striking color contrast.
This dish pairs especially well as a side to grilled meats at a Brazilian churrasco.
Refrigerate roasted vegetables and farofa separately up to 3 days; combine and reheat the vegetables before adding fresh or reheated farofa on top to keep its crunch.
Farofa has been a staple accompaniment in Brazilian cuisine for centuries, made from cassava flour that has indigenous roots predating European colonization, and it remains a near-constant presence alongside rice, beans and roasted or grilled dishes.
Yes, this dish is flexible — try parsnips, butternut squash, or even regular potatoes in place of any of the listed vegetables.
It's worth seeking out at a Latin market for an authentic farofa, though breadcrumbs toasted the same way can approximate the crunch in a pinch.
The heat was likely too high, or it wasn't stirred constantly — toast over medium heat with continuous stirring and remove from heat as soon as it turns golden.
Per serving (240g / 8.5 oz) · 4 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.
